COLOUR

Head in the Clouds

Pantone’s Color of the Year Cloud Dancer may have divided opinion, but does it signal a shift towards calmer, more refined colour? Or has quiet luxury strayed into un-originality?

ASP

Pantone’s Color of the Year often sparks debate, but it’s fair to say that Cloud Dancer hasn’t exactly set hair colourists' worlds alight – so far. This soft, airy white shade has been criticised for lacking impact, especially when applied to the hair industry, which loves a bold transformation. Yet, look beyond the surface and you could argue that Cloud Dancer feels less like a shade, and more like a mindset.

It reflects a collective desire to slow down, reset and simplify, echoing the quiet luxury movement and a growing appetite for calm, refined beauty. For colourists, this is not about turning clients white or blonde, but about rethinking tone and subtlety across every palette and every hair type. In this feature, we explore how Cloud Dancer can refresh your colour menu all year round, from cleaner, brighter blonde finishes to softer tones for redheads, brunettes and darker shades, and its powerful link to the rise of grey blending. We also share tips for introducing Cloud Dancer in consultations and marketing it with confidence.

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The Mood: Softly, Softly

Firstly, rather than thinking of Cloud Dancer as a colour, all the experts saw it as more of a vibe. “Cloud Dancer feels like a real slow-beauty moment, but without being boring,” shares Ana McCormack, Brand Master and Education Manager at KEVIN.MURPHY. “It’s a calmer palette, with less noise, and choices that feel more personal. Not everyone is chasing a full transformation every eight weeks anymore.” In the last couple of years, we’ve seen the term ‘quiet luxury’ hit the mainstream, and this feels like a natural move on from that.

“CLOUD DANCER FEELS LIKE A REAL SLOW-BEAUTY MOMENT, BUT WITHOUT BEING BORING”

New salon-sized 1 litre pump bottles of ASP Expert Haircare Ice Blonde Charcoal Shampoo and Conditioner have landed. Powered by purifying charcoal and cationic conditioning agents working in tandem to neutralise brassiness and deliver clean, luminous blonde results.

Subtle and understated are two adjectives that feel most fitting when describing Cloud Dancer. “It’s understated, but still feels premium. It’s the sort of colour clients describe as feeling ‘nice’ rather than dramatic,” shares Becky Sutherland, OSMO Ambassador and owner of Odd Apple in Durham. “By adjusting the warmth or coolness with toners and glosses, it can feel airy and fresh in spring/ summer, or richer and more cocooning in autumn/winter,” says Jane Wanniaratchy, Sally Europe Head of Product and Technical Education. “Using sheer colour placement keeps the shade adaptable and allows stylists to refresh it seasonally without a full re-colour,”she adds.

Most colourists cited blonde as the shade they think of when they heard the Color of the Year named. Lily Champ, Crazy Color Brand Ambassador agrees: “Cloud Dancer feels like the cool, more refined older sister of Scandi blonde.” But she also shares that it can be universally flattering, working across a range of shades with techniques like toning, grey blending and pre-pigmentation, bringing a crystal-clear, fresh edge to all colours.

Cloud Dancer Client Profile

One of the great things about tone is its adaptability. We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again for those at the back: Cloud Dancer doesn’t have to mean blonde. “It’s surprisingly more versatile than that,” states John Anthoney, Alan Howard Education Manager. “For clients who are hesitant, it can be introduced through milky highlights, pearly glosses, or subtle face-framing brightness rather than full lightening. On warmer or deeper bases, Cloud Dancer works beautifully as a softening overlay, adding light reflection without drastically changing depth. Cream, champagne, or oyster-toned variations allow the look to feel gentle and flattering rather than stark.”

Cloud Dancer can be added to a multitude of different hair tones. “When we deep dive into the shade itself, it has undertones of pearl, violet and beige,” explains Holly Bullock, NXT Brand Ambassador and Educator. “So, this could easily be tailored to someone who doesn’t necessarily want to add white to their hair, by using a slightly darker shade with the same undertones.”

We were keen to ask colourists what they thought about the limitations of the colour too, and whether it can work across different hair types. Ceri Cushen, Metropolis and Revlon Professional Creative Artist, gave us invaluable advice. “When working on brunettes and darker bases, it’s about negative space,” she explains. “Fine highlights, face framing brightness and glosses that enhance natural shine give hair ‘cloud like’ softness without disrupting depth.” This shade works when treated as an all-over statement, or a subtle accent. “Try face-framer or soft ribbons through the lengths to introduce light without full commitment,” shares Petteri Rantaeilola, Innersense UK/EU Education Manager.

The Power of the Grey Pound

Cloud Dancer can feel especially current when talked about in the context of grey blending. “I love to use naturalising shades in L’Oréal Professionnel DIACOLOR range like 7./7.1/7.13 in lowlights. This mimics what our hair is doing naturally whilst we work with the white hairs, rather than against them. Team this up with a popping face frame, gloss using L’Oréal Professionnel Dia Light 10.02 and your grey blends will be the envy of all of your friends who are still tied to the monthly root tint,” explains Nancy Stripe, L'Oréal Professionnel Global Artist.“The sheer, neutral palette allows grey hair to be softened and blended in a way that feels intentional and modern, rather than covered,” agrees Jamie Benny, Alfaparf Milano Brand Ambassador UKI.

If our whole colour palette is shifting to one that’s more toned down, it opens up more possibilities for grey clients. “If we shift how we speak about grey, and use Cloud Dancer as the gateway, we unlock one of the biggest growth opportunities in our colour business right now!” states

Heather Shaw, Wella Professionals Guest Artist and Creative Director of Advanced Education at Francesco Hair Salon.

RICK ROBERTS

CUT THROUGH THE NOISE

What to say (and what not to say!) when chatting all things Cloud Dancer

“When talking to clients about trends, I don’t take things too seriously! With Cloud Dancer I’ve been talking about the vibe rather than the shade itself. Through consultation talking about creating calmer and more luxurious finishes, shifting away from bold colour placement has been what it’s about.”

TERRI NADIN, ASP UK AMBASSADOR

“I talk about two colouring techniques. Cloud Veiling – ultra fine, Manic Panic pastel overlays, to create a soft veil over Cloud Dancer blondes. Think of it like a filter, but one that’s not creating unmanageable hair. And then Cloud Feathering – feathering soft pastel tones into natural grey to create a seamless, airy blend.”

EMMA PULLEN, MANIC PANIC UK AMBASSADOR

“Keep the consultation visual, simple and inspiring. Ask clients to bring reference images but guide them by focusing only on the hair colour, not the model’s face. This helps manage expectations and makes the choice more realistic. Use words like clean, airy and natural to describe the result and adapt the look to each client through babylights, glossing or grey blending, depending on hair strength and lifestyle.”

MARIA FREITAS, ANDREIA PROFESSIONAL HAIR AMBASSADOR

Often with grey blending, what you want to achieve is luminous white highlights within a grey base. “Grey blending is a great option for growing out old colour too, and Cloud Dancer can be incorporated to brighten up a steel-toned salt and pepper grey,” shares Tim Scott Wright, Schwarzkopf Professional Ambassador. We love the real-life example of Cloud Dancer meets grey blending from Joe Hill, AVEDA International Technical Capability & Design Manager. “My guest had warm ends with around 90% grey at the root,” he explains. “I air-touched and pre-lightened the ends, then toned everything into a dusty, smoky greige…very Cloud Dancer! It turned “going grey” into something that looked intentional and premium. It looked so good she rebooked just for a toner, which says everything. It’s proof grey blending can be fashion, not compromise.” Hear, hear.

MILLIE NESBITT

GIGI DI ROSA

Blonde, But Make it Bespoke

Although we’ve shared how Cloud Dancer isn’t just about milky-white blondes, let's face it, we should talk blonding. “Scandi and Champagne blondes already sit within a refined, minimal palette, but Cloud Dancer can elevate them further,” says Victoria Parker, Technical Educator Lead at Paul Mitchell. “To create the colour, I'd start with a full head pre-lighten to a clean level 10 for maximum luminosity. Refine the blonde by blending 30ml Goldwell LightDimensions Brightener Natural with LightDimensions SilkLift Developer Lotion 30ml 3%, finishing with two drops Goldwell @Pure Pigments Cool Pink. This formula delivers a weightless and refined blonde," shares Lydia Wolfe, Goldwell Ambassador, Jack & The Wolfe. And when it comes to blonding techniques, it’s all about subtlety. Dan Spiller, JOICO EMEA Colour Ambassador shares: “Think about strategic hair placement and ensure fine highlights are seamlessly blended throughout the hair evenly to capture the transparent nature of the shade. You want to mimic where the light would naturally hit the hair to create a gorgeous glistening effect.” Further proof, if you needed it, that every cloud has a silver lining.

ASHLEY LONG

EVERY CLOUD

How to make your cloud-like creations come to life

Deliver 9+ levels of lift with OSMO Blonde Elevation Premium Violet Lightening Powder – it contains violet pigments to beat the brass.

Powered by a 1% hyaluronic complex that enriches hair with hydration for super shiny results, L’Oréal Professionnel Dia Light Glossing is a great way to access the Cloud Dancer trend on most hair colours.

For enhancing and refreshing the shade, Wunderbar Permanent Hair Colour Cream (10.18, 10.16) offers soft, luminous blonde results, while Wunderbar Gloss’n Tone demi-perm (010/01, 010/18) gives sheer, buildable coverage with a cloud-like finish.

Wella Professionals Blondorplex 9 raises the standard for blonding with nine levels of lift, integrated Plex technology and a Metal Purifier for clearer, brighter results.

The acidic, demi-permanent colour line, KEVIN.MURPHY+COLOR.ME GLOSS is designed as a colour and treatment in one. With a single application, it refines tone while enhancing hair integrity and luminosity.

Andreia Professional Lightening Powder 10 Power Blonde offers up to 10 levels of lift while prioritising hair fibre integrity and ultimate colour results.

Powered by Hydrolyzed Moringa Protein, Innersense Repair Hair Mask helps draw hair’s internal bonds back together naturally.